(ECNS) -- Five trucks bearing the international road transport (TIR) sign departed Kashgar city in Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region for Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, on Tuesday, marking the first TIR transit operation under TIR between the two cities.

The container trucks carried a total of 79 tons of goods valued at $380,000, which would exit from the Khunjerab Pass Port, traveling over 1,200 kilometers and taking about three days to reach Islamabad.

"The first TIR transit operation between China and Pakistan signifies a new impetus for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, and will support southern Xinjiang in opening up and high-quality development," said Cheng Tao, deputy director of Kashgar Customs.

TIR procedure enables goods to move under customs control across international borders without the payment of duties and taxes that would normally be due at importation or exportation). It can significantly reduce customs clearance time and transportation costs, further promoting trade facilitation and transport security.